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Ask a professional people toucher anything!


MeanSeanBean

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That's right, I touch people for a living. More specifically, a Registered Massage Therapist. I tend to get a ton of questions about my job from patients and over the years it has really made me realize how little people know about people, who touch people. Maybe you have questions about me, the profession itself, or even a question about injuries, or other muscle related things. Maybe nobody gives a damn and this will slowly fade into the junk drawer, who knows!

 

Went for the eye catching title. I'm anxiously waiting for the trade deadline and bored so here we go! Ask away!

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30 minutes ago, Junkyard Dog said:

My shoulder pops/cracks when I do incline dumbell chest press. Painless.

 

Why is that?

If it just happens one time during the start of a lift, it's likely just a necessary adjustment brought on by the tension on the muscles. Self adjustments happen through out the day and are the normal release of gases in your joints. Would sound kinda like cracking your kunkles.

 

If it happens regularly with a particular lift, in this case an inclined bench, as you do the work out it's likely just wear and tear on the joint. Most people have joints in their body that for whatever reason (past injuries, muscle imbalance, structural abnormalities ect) the joint doesn't sit entirely flush. When you do any particular movement the joint rubs and can produce a clicking sound. As long as no pain accompanies the sound it's totally fine and normal.

 

 

12 minutes ago, HI5 said:

 

That will cost extra.

 

TOTALLY KIDDING. 

 

 

 

 

 

It's part of the treatment cost already...

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50 minutes ago, SabreFan1 said:

How much extra for the happy ending?

Ever hear of a sliding scale payment? Basically the exact opposite of that, but based off appearance not income.

 

I kid. Obviously never even been approached for such things, but learned how to detect it at the collage. Essential if a sketchy massage place is offering massage for far to cheap, it's not a deal, it's shady. And they expect you to double the price. So if 50, it's that plus a 50 tip. I hate places like that cause it sullies what I take very seriously and have deticated my life to helping people on a very different way.

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1 hour ago, Baer. said:

Have you ever rejected a client due to bad hygiene?

Nope. You get over it pretty quick. After a couple years, and a few thousand people it doesn't even phase you anymore. Sometimes you need to modify the treatment a bit if they have really bad acne on their back, or cuts or something, but never based on hygiene.

 

1 hour ago, SabreFan1 said:

I know what you didn't learn at the "collage".  How to spell "college".  :lol:;)

Jerk :P didn't you read my post, I dig my elbow into peoples squishy bits for a living. The most spelling I do on a day to day bases is probably here!

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8 hours ago, Incursio said:

Do you know much about TMJ?

I know enough. It's not something I see alot of since there's another practitioner in the clinic that has more training then me. But I normally see it once ever few months. Having jaw issues?

 

8 hours ago, Shift-4 said:

Can you have massages too often?

I mean, maybe if you were being interrogated in a Turkish bathhouse with 6-7 hours of deep tissue a day... but

 

I would say no overall. If someone is getting deep tissue work for an injury, to much could be an issue though. my general rule of thumb is I want your tissue to have healed from your previous treatment to work the area again. Can take 2-3 days sometimes.

 

But if you are just getting massage for everyday stress or well being, I couldn't see any situation you could see adverse effects from massage. The only time I have ever seen patients on a daily bases is when they are competing in multi-day races or tournaments. Even athletes who are building or currently competing rarely come more then once a month.

 

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15 hours ago, shayster007 said:

I know enough. It's not something I see alot of since there's another practitioner in the clinic that has more training then me. But I normally see it once ever few months. Having jaw issues?

Yes. I saw my doctor about it a couple months ago, and he told me that I have TMJ; he figures it's due to me being tense and maybe grinding my teeth in my sleep because of stress. My jaw pops when I open it wide, and it gets sore. I wouldn't say it hurts though.

 

I've tried about couple different exercise and nothing has really worked. I was hoping you might have a suggestion on what to do. 

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20 minutes ago, Incursio said:

Yes. I saw my doctor about it a couple months ago, and he told me that I have TMJ; he figures it's due to me being tense and maybe grinding my teeth in my sleep because of stress. My jaw pops when I open it wide, and it gets sore. I wouldn't say it hurts though.

 

I've tried about couple different exercise and nothing has really worked. I was hoping you might have a suggestion on what to do. 

Most TMJ exercises (I assume it's something like put your fingers on your jaw and resist movemnt) are not going to resolve tmj issues. Your jaw muscles are some of the strongest in your body in comparison to their size. They are also something you activate constantly during chewing, speaking, stress grinding, yelling at canucks games, or whatever. It will likely require intervention.

 

A mouth gaurd for sleeping can be effective at lessening the force during sleep grinding. They will also protect your teeth from any chipping or cracking. More often then not I do not even prescribe mouth guards though. Experience tells me people will just not use them. They will for a few nights, then forget, or not like the feeling, or forget to clean it before bed, or not want to drool on their significant other, or whatever. I advise treatment.

 

Massage to relax the muscles in and around the jaw can be extremely effective in treating most TMJ disorders. Often treatment of the manible (big muscles around your jaw) and other muscles of the neck are enough. Sometimes intraoral massage will be required to release some of the nitty gritty muscles inside your mouth. Intraoral is much less pleasant and if it comes to that I would seek a massage therapist with specialized training in intraoral massage. I'm an experienced therapist and like I mentioned before treat TMJ disorders multiple times a year, but I do not offer intraoral. Most RMTs have training in it (like I do) but most also would prefer to refer out to someone who's simply better and more qualified to do it due to the sensitive nature. If your booking a RMT treatment ask if they have TMJ or intraoral training to find the right person.

 

Even though you are not experiencing pain now, doesn't mean that's how it will stay. TMJ issues often progress if left unchecked. You don't want constant pain when moving your jaw or has locking, so it's worth seeking treatment now. 

 

Also, take time to chill out. Most people I meet with TMJ are in very high stress environments. 9 times outta 10 stress grinding is due to work. One of the biggest things I can teach people is how to let go of their neck and jaw. Check in with yourself regularly and make sure you aren't all flexed up unnecessarily. During the day, and in particular during stress, take note if your neck and jaw are tensed up. If they are, take a breath and relax the muscles. Try to check in as often as possible. Eventually with alot of practice and time it will become second nature. It's very frustating and difficult to learn, but it's crucial. I teach deal works with poor posture the same thing. Gotta learn to be mind full of your muscles, most people are not.

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